Beekeepers Face Bee Colony Collapse in Illinois, Seek Help from Dept. of Agriculture

Earlier this month, reports surfaced about infected honeybees stinging and killing their relative bumblebees. The growing presence of zombie bees has also worsened the decline of bee populations. As a result, beekeepers are witnessing colony collapses. 

The global concern regarding the bee population began in 2006 when beekeepers started reporting colony losses by the millions. Beekeepers in Sangamon Valley in Illinois have reported the disappearance of almost 30,000 bees from their colonies this past November. This bee disappearance has negatively affected $15 billion worth of crops in the United States.

These commercial bees that are housed by beekeepers pollinate crops nationwide, but habitat loss and pesticides have began to wipe out bee populations. As a result, the United States Department of Agriculture has decided to aid farmers and ranchers in five Midwestern states in hopes of improving pastures to provide food for the bees.

The USDA will provide $15 million worth of aid to the five Midwestern states that include Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas. These five states are home to 65% of the nation's 30,000 beekeepers who take in migrating bees for part of the year.

They will also sink in $20 million over the next five years toward research on the issue of bee colony collapses. The USDA hopes the investment will pay off because they have limited funds, and the progressively worsening bee issue is presenting itself at an inopportune time.

Dave Pangrac is a beekeeper in Decatur, Illinois and experienced a colony collapse in November. Beekeepers are typically known to lose 30% of their bees during the winter, but recent complete collapses have been seen as unprecedented.

"If you have tremendous hive death like we're seeing, then it tells you something about the state of our ecosystem," said Pangrac in this Sun Herald article. "Around 30 hives failed in the fall among 18 members. I've never seen that before."

The USDA along with beekeepers nationwide hope to see positive results out of the invested money or else the problem could persist and further affect the ecosystem and economy.